It is perhaps difficult today to realize how poor the lighting of house interiors was in the days before gas and electricity, and the need for a clock which could be seen in the dark, or in a dimly lit room, was a consideration of which we are hardly aware. Clocks with dials which could be illuminated from behind were designed in Italy in the 17th century, and some similar models were made in England. Other ideas such as the oil lamp clock and the projection clock were tried, but the necessity for renewing the oil and attending to the wick prevented them becoming common. For nocturnal purposes, therefore, repeat-striking mechanisms were far more convenient and universal. Silent escapements were also devised for clocks intended for the bedroom, and today many electric clocks have their dials dimly illuminated at all times, or have luminous hands and dials. A Japanese clock which speaks the time as well as having a conventional dial was marketed in the 1970s. Perhaps the most recent version of a night clock, it provides its audible message at the touch of a disc on top of its case.